1948 NERC Season

The 1948 NERC Season was the 3rd season of the North-Eastern Runty Championship, the first professional runty league in the world. Like the first two seasons, this season featured 6 teams, who all faced each other home and away for a duration of 10 weeks.

The Boston Riders succesfully defended their title in the 1948 Champions Cup, defeating the Buffalo Panthers by a goal.

Regular Season
On May 8, 1948, the NERC’s 3rd season began with each team playing games at 3:00, just like the first 2 seasons. Those games included an impressive 28-18 Buffalo win at home over the Clippers, a statement 30-16 win for the Riders against the Bronx, and a close 28-24 victory for Staten Island over New York.

Games of the Week
Week 1: New York 24-28 Staten Island

Week 2: New York 19-21 Boston

Week 3: Buffalo 23-21 Boston

Week 4: Boston 24-27 Hempstead

Week 5: Buffalo 29-16 New York

Week 6: Boston 21-20 the Bronx

Week 7: Buffalo 25-19 the Bronx

Week 8: Boston 19-20 Buffalo

Week 9: the Bronx 24-20 New York

Week 10: the Bronx 20-30 Hempstead

1. BOSTON RIDERS

Leading Goalscorer: Alban Good (11)

Despite finishing with the same record as in 1947, the Boston Riders moved up a spot to finish atop the NERC standings for the first time in their history. There were dominant, scoring 30 more points than the next-closest team, and only allowing 3 more points than the best defense in the league. Leading the way offensively was newcomer Alban Good, one of the NYRL’s best players in 1946. Defensively, the Addison Brothers were brick walls, and the main reason they gave up so few points. Boston finished at 7-3.

2. BUFFALO PANTHERS

Leading Goalscorer: Artie Booth (12)

Finishing second and improving their record for the second straight year were the Buffalo Panthers. Artie Booth made a case for being the best player in the league with his season, finishing with the most goals in the league, and scoring over a quarter of the Panthers’ total points. Another surprise for them was their backend, which had been one of the worst in the league in 1946 and 1947. Bursting onto the scene was fullback Christian Charpentier, who made life miserable for opposing forwards. Buffalo finished at 7-3, behind Boston on point differential.

3. HEMPSTEAD CLIPPERS

Leading Goalscorer: Allen Formock (9)

The Clippers suffered a huge setback halfway through the year when star RO Sam Albrek suffered a serious shoulder injury, effectively ending his playing career. Without him the Clippers defense struggled mightily, but the offense was still good enough to clinch the third spot. Eddy James regressed up front, but Allen Formock progressed, taking over as the club’s leading goalscorer. Abram Bergling and Porter Norton also played very well for the Clippers, as they finished 6-4.

4. THE BRONX BEARS

Leading Goalscorer: Chester Uptan (9)

Coming in fourth were the Bears, who rebounded after a surprisingly disappointing 1947 season. The offense vastly improved, scoring almost 4 more points per game than the previous season. Chester Uptan was the team’s leader up front, while Ray Paulo and Larry Whitipan also had noteworthy seasons in midfield and on the backend, respectively. Despite the bounceback, analysts weren’t sold on their play for the future, as they only won 1 game all year against a team with a better record than them.

5. NEW YORK KNIGHTS

Leading Goalscorer: Ray Morris (8)

Doing a reverse Buffalo, The Knights regressed for a second consecutive year, finishing 5th. However, their record made their play seem worse than it actually was. All 3 of their wins were by more than 10 points, including a 23-12 victory in Buffalo. They also lost most of their games by close margins, including one controversial game which cost them 2 points. Ray Morris led the team up front, while Joe Hunnith had an off year. New York finished at 3-7.

6. STATEN ISLAND ISLANDERS

Leading Goalscorer: John Corland (4)

Coming in last for the third straight season were the Staten Island Islanders. It was a fairly similar year for them to 1947, though they won one less game. As well, Andy Kennard, who was one of the league’s best forwards in 1947, completely fell off the map, scoring just 3 goals. Despite the hardships for Kennard, the team’s overall play and skill level improved, which was pretty much the only positive for them.

Notable Events
-   The week 1 game between Staten Island and New York featured a controversial, as the Islanders claimed that the Knights’ game-tying goal crossed the line after the final whistle. This appeal overturned the score, giving Staten Island the 28-24 victory. This led to further controversy as to why the ref was blowing the final whistle as the Knights had a golden opportunity.

-   Boston set a professional runty record by kicking 7 unanswered points in a single game.

-   Buffalo captain Ray Paul was given a lifetime ban for tackling a referee out of anger. He appealed, but to no avail.

-   With the aid of a strong tailwind, Boston’s Alban Good kicked a goal from over 100 yards out in their week 8 game against Buffalo.

-   The Manhattan Runty Club demolished through the 1948 New York Runty League season, prompting them to apply to join the NERC for 1949. The NERC immediately and rudely refused, drawing the ire of the club.